Strange things happen when two sides become constricted to their own position.

Let’s take one example from the history books.

There is a triggering crisis. Two opposing sides. A sequence of events. 116 years of conflict. Eventually, a conclusion.

Now I am not particularly interested in how it started nor in who won. But I am interested in how it continued for so long without resolution. What were the conditions that led to a series of hostilities that perpetuated this on-and-off-again war for over a century?

And, perhaps more importantly, how does this relate to twenty-first-century business?

It may seem like a rather tenuous and unlikely link. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I can see the parallels.

There are very few organisations I have worked with where there has not been, at some point, a misalignment and disagreement between the sales and marketing teams.

It is, in my experience, unfortunately, inevitable. And, much like the Hundred Years’ War, unnecessarily protracted.

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Why sales thinks marketing is poor, and marketing thinks sales is the problem.

At the heart of any conflict between teams is an intrinsic lack of understanding and communication. Misconceptions and stereotypes lead to resentment and challenge.

Sales feel that marketing is not generating enough quality leads to help their bottom line.

Marketing think sales are not following up on the leads that are sent over.

Sales think marketing is poor.

Marketing, on the other hand, think sales is the problem.

Ultimately, neither side can advance, gain an advantage, or successfully progress the business if all that continues is a repetition of the same conversations.

More brochures, more events, more leads.

Less time, less focus, less follow-up.

Neither side is inherently right, nor are they fundamentally wrong.

They just are caught in a cyclical spiral that will not be resolved through shutting them in a room to “work it out themselves”. Without a facilitator.

Not impossible, but unlikely to have a particularly high success rate.

Focus therefore shifts from solving the problem to defending each of their own positions. Even if that means sacrificing the “other side” to upper management in the process.

Just when something appears settled, old frustrations and disagreements can resurface, bringing much of the unresolved tension along with them.

Breaking the mould

History teaches us that when opinions become so entrenched, sentiment accumulates, and each new interaction inherits past baggage. Yet, an encouraging part is that we have an advantage in being able to recognise this pattern and create the opportunity to do something about it.

While the reasons for such misalignment are undoubtedly multifaceted, in my experience, it typically stems from one of three core areas. A preconceived notion of what each team is there to do. A disconnect in how each team operates. Or, more fundamentally, a misalignment in the goal that each of them is set to work towards each year.

Success (…) is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy’s purpose.

~ Sun Tzu, The Art of War

This strategic idea to align purpose across team boundaries, starting with the common business goal, would be a good first step. Perhaps counter-intuitively to expectation, I would not make this the “lead”.

It requires moving beyond fixing a lead management problem or process to truly delve into what the business is trying to achieve. What is required from a commercial level to meet that goal, and how each role feeds into it.

At this point, you can start to review whether their objectives are working against them. For it is difficult to develop a strategy when thinking only about your own objectives and not considering others.

Once that conversation shifts from what sales or marketing want from each other, the dynamic changes. Becoming more in sync with what the business is looking to achieve and what each role needs from the other to be able to support it.

Working to peace

A century-long conflict is not resolved by winning the latest disagreement. In the same way that fixing the latest argument about lead quality will not resolve the structural misalignment between sales and marketing.

Ultimately, attempting to resolve such conflict at the level at which it presents itself is unlikely to yield the results needed. The role leadership plays should be less about arbitrating between sides, and more about ensuring the conditions for common objectives to be firmly established.

While such misalignment in an organisation feels inevitable – and almost expected – it doesn’t need to be perpetual. The cycle can be broken once the pattern is recognised and addressed.

Perhaps it is not about getting both sides to agree. Rather, to bring them together through a shared objective and purpose to work towards.

After all, sales and marketing were never meant to be on opposing sides.

Silhouette of deer at dusk. Image credits: Getty Images.

How marketing is understood rather than delivered is a theme I explore often. If that resonates, subscribe to follow along.

When marketing in your organisation feels busy but not effective, you are not alone. There is usually a deeper challenge in how marketing is being understood.

The Intuitive Marketing Coach is written for people trying to move beyond activity, assumptions, and box-ticking, towards something more deliberate, valued, and commercially effective. It explores a more intuitive approach to business. One grounded in better judgement, clearer thinking, and a more considered view of what marketing is actually there to do.

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